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Recently, while speaking at the Austin Game Conference, Michael Dell, founder of the unstoppable Dell computer offered his optimistic views on the future of PC gaming ( http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=10821 ). This would appear to be a natural conclusion based on Dell’s recent acquisition of Alienware.

I have a very different view of the future of PC gaming.

Without a complete reinvention of the PC, the videogame system is destined to rule the home. PCs will continue to exist for those professionals that want to bring their work experience home; but the PCs reach into consumers’ recreational time will continue to be marginalized.

But is that the unavoidable future? No! The PC must deliver the consistency and simplicity consumers expect from the game consoles. The PC inherently has so many market advantages over proprietary consoles, but for thirty years has failed to deliver on the promise of being easier-to-use. Microsoft Vista, and the Xbox clearly demonstrate that Microsoft believes that game consoles are for the home and PCs are for the office.

Gamix is an open gaming platform based on the PC. The concept is to give consumers the simplicity of the game consoles while maintaining the power, flexibility, and variety of the PC.

Michael Dell is obviously one of the true leaders and visionaries of the PC industry. His accomplishments speak for themselves. But staying the course in the PC gaming market is not going to work. The time is right for a reinvention of the home computer- a reinvention as dramatic as IBM’s original PC. Certainly a company with the resources of Dell could lead such a revolution. The question is when.

Thirty years ago, IBM began selling a PC based on an open architecture. Soon, rival manufacturers began selling compatible PCs; and the rest, as they say, is history. Hundreds of millions of PCs have been sold in a fiercely competitive industry driven by performance and innovation.

PC meant personal computer. IBM was bringing the power of the computer to the home. A huge attraction of the PC was an endless stream of new, exciting, and pioneering entertainment software titles. The power to create games, and the power to play games was all available in one box. This is where so many of today’s great software developers got their inspiration and got their start.

From the beginning, computers were slightly complicated and a little daunting. Their great power kept people believing that software would continue to improve and overcome user difficulties. Software certainly continued to improve, but it also continued to become more complex. Paralleling the computer, videogame systems mastered simplicity, but could never compete with the PCs breakneck technological advancement.

Now, the PC is dead.

The computer’s little brother, the game console, has grown up. There is no more personal computer. Today the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Playstation 3 rival the power of the PC. Today’s game console can do all of the things people want to do with a personal computer: play games; play movies; play music; browse the Internet; e-mail and instant messaging; sharing digital photographs; and more. And today’s game console can do all of this with an interface that is much more stable and friendly than Windows.

Microsoft is telling us the PC is dead.

Microsoft Windows and the Xbox clearly demonstrate that Microsoft believes that game consoles are for the home and PCs are for the office.

So call it the OC: Office Computer.

This declaration has serious ramifications for the entire interactive entertainment industry. This industry needs the PC. The PC gives the world a development tool and an open market that does not exist in the world of game consoles.

Consumers need the PC. Consumers want the variety and creativity that an open market nurtures.

Manufacturers need the PC. Why cede the living room to Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo? Dell, Sega, Gateway, NEC, HP, Samsung, Lenovo, Toshiba, LG, Sanyo, Panasonic, Philips, and everyone else should be competing for the living room.

The answer: The PC must deliver the consistency and simplicity consumers expect from the game consoles.

Gamix is an open gaming platform based on the PC. The concept is to give consumers the simplicity of the game consoles while maintaining the power, flexibility, and variety of the PC.

Gamix began in 2005 as a concept for promoting an open videogame platform specification.

Open to anyone and everyone, Gamix attempts to offer a superior gaming platform without restrictive licensing costs.

Based on a passionate belief that by giving developers and hardware manufacturers a completely open market, creativity and innovation will thrive. The business model of large companies with proprietary systems controlling the profitability of independent game developers will not be able to compete.

So what exactly is Gamix? Gamix is simply the technical specifications for an open videogame system based on standard components, and a well-established universe of nearly limitless development tools. Gamix endeavored to capitalize on the appeal of an open platform and offer a common branding for developers, publishers, and hardware manufactures to promote the concept.

With insufficient time and resources, Gamix has languished and is in need of an update. While the concept remains relevant the original specifications may not.

I hope that by visiting the Gamix web page, you begin to see the possibilities we see. The hope is that some collective enthusiasm for this project will help make this vision a reality.

Please do not hesitate to call or e-mail for more information. Awareness is the first step towards a better tomorrow.